Search the Community

I admit I'm no expert on the differences between keto and a typical low-carb diet. I think some doctors imagine a low carb diet as one eating 12 pounds of bacon a day...lol. You can still do low carb and not go crazy on high fat foods. Keeping my carbs low has always been best for me although I'm not the biggest fan of it. I seem to notice a bigger increase in weight loss if I keep it to 50g or less a day. Usually it means lots of lean protein (chicken & tuna are my main go-tos) and I stick to lower carb veggies.

For most people 1000-1200 should do it. I wouldn't go below 1000. Either follow a Keto plan or a macro plan. Macro is 35% carb (complex carbs only) 25% fat and 40% Protein. I started with keto and switched to macro. my rate of loss actually sped up when i switched to the macro plan.

Congratulations! It's a pretty amazing achievement to have lost 46 kilos. I too, am waiting impatiently to get to a double digit number on the scale. I haven't lost as much as you - yet, but I haven't been under 100 kilos since 2007, so for 15 years. I also tried keto but didn't do as well as you did. You can do this. 😁

I pick restaurants that have items I can eat. I check menus online before going. I usually order some sort of seafood appetizer. If that isn't an option a salad with grilled meat. If that isn't an option and it is a nice dinner restaurant, steak is now an option. So many people keto, low carb, eat paleo that there are lots of options on most menus especially at newer trendier resturants. I also always keep a Quest bar with me for dates and if I drive I keep a premier Protein shake in my car so if I end up not eating much, I can get my protein later. Eating at restaurants is really easy if you have control over your eating. For people still struggling I think all the options will be too much temptation.

Thanks! I have to lose 2 more kgs to go below 100. I'm so excited to see the magical 99 KG on the scale. Good luck to you also. Keto worked for me the first round and I lost a considerable weight. Not the second time though.

Thank you so much. I searched keto nut nothing came up. I'll try it again

I know this is an older post but hoping someone can help i had RNY 4 mo ths a and have been using Keto diet for 6 weeks and feel good on it But I eat 1200 cal a day and exercise 5 days a week, yet stalled for 4 weeks well only lost 1 lb and clothes not getting any looser. i still have 50 lbs to loose and cannot seem to get weight to drop again 1200 cal 100 gr protein 15 gr carb 80 gr fat aerobics for 45 min per day thanks

I'm four and a half years out. My two cents 😉 How do you get back on board? "What do you do when you lose control of your eating?" Some things to try. I understand the struggles you are describing. We already know what we should be doing. Getting back on track is a mental battle. What do I do to get back on board is detox off carbs and sugar, I accept that I will feel crappy for a short period of time. Give yourself small attainable goals to start. (Five pounds at a time) I give myself a loving kick in the @ss perspective. A person with cancer and months to live would gladly trade places for our weight loss struggles. Many reasons why people over eat. One way to manage it is to make a note in your food log when your off track and try to pin point your reasons or what you’re feeling After a year, Diet is not a one size fits all. Keto, intermittent fasting, whole foods, Going back to basics, paleo, vegan. The list goes on Whatever diet you choose, you need to know what calories and macros put your body into weight loss mode. (These numbers will be specific to you) Use your food log. Dial your calories back by 100 calories for a month, if the scale does not move dial it back again. When you are ready to maintain start moving your calories up to find the macros that stop your weight loss. I am female 5’5” I can gain on 1400/1500 calories. The numbers are different for each of us. Again, not a one size fits all. I could feel less restriction at a year out. I had to fill the extra volume with dense protein and as much veggies until I felt full. Honestly, its not hard to consume extra calories. It’s something I have to keep an eye on years out. Get rid of bars, shakes. Eating real food will keep you more satiated Dense protein Keep healthy sweet and salty foods on hand to satisfy cravings Remove temptation foods from your home Log, hydrate and get activity in Keep a veggie tray in the fridge for boredom and head hunger. Allow yourself to eat as much of it until full (I do this for night snacking) Pre – cook or meal prep. Make larger batches of foods and freeze them in smaller portions. Plan meals and try new recipes. Join a weight loss challenge. Feb weight loss on bariatric pal. Myfitness pal just give me ten days has many active participants. My dieticians’ bariatric friendly recipes https://insidekarenskitchen.com/recipes/bariatric-friendly-recipes/ Meal prep

Are you on a ketogenic diet? I use keto strips on days when I need to remind myself that my body is in fact in ketosis and I am actually losing weight (even when the scale hasn't budged). I'm really interested in trying it, which is also why I'm not sure if I should or shouldn't worry about fat. I get some healthy fats in via avocados etc., but also get in trans fats via things like meat. I wonder if heart, liver, and gallbladder health differs between people who are on various high fat/low carb/low fat/high protein diets. Thanks for your advice and I'm definitely staying away from the unnecessary carbs and pudding

I'm just outside of keto because I've been eating fruit and beans. But I'm 8 months out. I was in keto for the first few months. I couldn't take the stank mouth bad breath from keto anymore!! When I first started on this journey, I read every study I could find in my search for the ideal eating plan. I was SOOOO frustrated. There is very little hard science out there about the right way to eat for the human body. Every blogger swears they know the answer...haha, have you ever watched a paleo follower and a vegan go at it?

It's normal and called carb withdrawal or keto flu. It sucks, but is something that must be endured. I tell people, it's much better to get the pre-surgery act together and go through this hell BEFORE you're also recovering from surgery. It should get better in a week or two. Dr. Westman (low carb diet doc at Duke) says to take 1tsp MOM daily, 1-2 cups of bouillon daily, and make sure you're very hydrated. It's caused from rapid dehydration in the cells and also from switching from burning glucose to fat.

You know there is a difference between "ideal" and goal weight right? Just to nerd out on you, "ideal" weight is a very specific metric based on pretty archaic insurance charts. And for women (don't know for men), you use this formula to calculate it: 100lbs for the first 5 feet. 5lbs for every inch over 5 feet. So for me, a 5'4" woman of average build, I have a theoretical "ideal" weight of ABOUT 120lbs give or take. I asked my cardiologist if 120lbs was a reasonable goal. He said, he doubted very seriously if I could get there and that he didn't really think it is do-able for most people, not just me. But the wls peeps use ideal weight to calculate your theoretical expected weight loss for your type of surgery and they also compute a theoretical "goal range" for most of us--whether or not they are willing to disclose that information, they still calculate and track it for each of us. My theoretical goal based on my ideal weight and based on my surgery was 156lbs. My 1st goal for myself was 150lbs. Now I'm going for goal #2 140lbs which puts me slightly under the mark on a weight chart where I'm in "normal weight range". My goal #3 is to get to 130lbs. My doctors think I should be able to do that if I really apply myself. So even at 130lbs as a goal, and even though I'm a "normal weight" for a woman my size, and even though I will have met and exceeded the expected/targeted % of expected weight loss...I will still be 10lbs heavier than my "ideal weight." This morning I am 32% fat (different than BMI) by Tanita and that fluctuates wildly with hydration. I go from 26% fat in the afternoons to 32% fat in the mornings. So by that metric, I have about 47lbs of fat sitting on my frame. Of that 47lbs of fat, I have what "they" figure is 13-14lbs of ESSENTIAL fat. That's the fat I must have on my body to continue to live. We all have something like that amount of essential fat. So accordingly, I have about 47-14=33lbs of excess fat left to lose. I think I can lose about 20lbs, but the rest of that seems impossible. And losing 20lbs still doesn't get me down to my ideal weight. Can I maintain it? I believe I can as long as I take each day as a new chance to live healthy and eat my best and exercise. I too am low carb/defacto keto, and get only "adequate protein". I also eat very low glycemic foods and try to get my daily 20g of fiber into the mix. Sorry for the book. (Oh I'm nearly 12months out and have lost 140lbs from my recent high weight.)

Be careful adding foods. Make sure. No sugar. Coffee you can use stevia drops and sugar free creamer. Or keto creamer. Lots of Very soft. Scrambled eggs. If you can get a ver small food processor. You can make a small amount of chicken salad If you grind your foods it makes life much easier

I have been keeping up with several groups on Keto diet and there is information on intermittent fasting to promote weight loss. I have tried this ( fasting 16 hours a day and consuming all meals within 8 hours) but with the limited quantity I can eat at one meal, I have found that I can’t get all the calories in an 8 hour period. I don’t get hungry (a good thing) and will eat till “full” but I would have to eat every hour to get 1200 calories in 8 hours. This frustrates me because I know from past experiences that I go into starvation mode when my calories drop under 1000. Has anyone else tried intermittent fasting post sleeve?

I am 5'2" and have a BMI of 32, an I am scheduled for surgery 11.17.17. I am insulin resistant, suffer from metabolic syndrome, PCOS, and pre-diabetic. I did not come to this decision lightly, but I have yo-yo'd for many years (Phen-Fen, HCG, Weight Watchers, Keto) you name it, I've tried it, and the weight always comes back. I personally think that this is going to be much less detrimental to my health in the long run than some of the past options I've tried, and not to mention the constant ups & downs. My husband does not think that I need it, but is 100% supportive of my decision. I am ready to take charge of my life.

I haven't had surgery yet, just getting used to all this. Thanks for the information! I was on Keto prior to starting this journey so the sugar alcohol was ok for me.

One tip, if you haven't tried them already, is to incorporate Keto Chow shakes. They have a ton of flavors, 26g protein per shake and a ton of vitamins/minerals. They are designed to have you add the fat of your choosing to them (heavy whipping cream, butter, MCT, whatever) so that you can hit your macros. Congrats on taking charge of your nutrition!

That is great! I've always struggled to keep my Vitamin D level above minimum. I did Keto before and olive oil and coconut oil were considered as "healthy fats". I also used to take one 1 tablespoon of MCT oil with my bullet-proof coffee (once daily). Maybe do some research on that.

I’ve been doing Keto for a year, I’m 18 months post sleeve. I’ve really turned off meat and chicken though. I have a piece of fish most nights. I do like bacon but it has to be really crispy for me to enjoy it. I find it very easy to eat salads, with egg or avocado and spinach leaves. And love nuts and seeds. So I make my own nut granola and if I want bread or a sweet treat make it myself Keto friendly. I tend to eat the same things every day. I like Keto because it reduces my appetite. I still have a lot of restriction though so that helps too. The sleeve has made it easier for me to stay Keto and give up bread and potatoes as they are hard for me to eat.

One should always take conversations about which diet is best with a grain of salt. This choice is as personal as they come. Diet is a hot button issue and we're still learning a lot about it. In particular, we're learning about the kinds of bugs different diets grow in your GI tract and how they contribute to defense against disease and weight maintenance. I think those bugs....our gut microbiota....will hold the key to future developments in nutrition and the treatment of dozens of illnesses, including obesity. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5433529/ Did you know that you have about the same number of bacteria cells in your GI tract as human cells in your body? We're complex symbiotic organisms who count on those bugs for our health. Half man...half bacteria....here we come:) Keto works. You lose weight fast, and it helps to control your appetite. However...diets high in animal protein and fat are correlated with increased risk of cancer and increased mortality from other causes. Keto does a spectacular job of wiping out your gut microbe diversity. This isn't a good thing. Thinner people, and healthier people...are documented to have higher gut bug diversity. People who die young and have chronic illness...have low gut bacteria diversity. The people in cultures who live the longest on the planet, with the lowest rates of cancer and heart disease....eat diets high in complex carbs, dietary fiber, fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables...and are more sparing in proteins and fats. People in these cultures also exercise. And again...they have highly diverse gut microbiota. If you want to look at it from an evolutionary perspective...what diet have millions of years of adaptations prepared us best for? Look at the natural diets of the great apes. They eat a ton of fruit, veggies, and very fiberous foliage. They eat legumes and insects (a terrific source of fiber)....and only opportunistically and sparingly... eat eggs and meat. Their fat sources and most of their protein comes from plant sources. Their gut microbiota is also very diverse. And they exercise. Interesting pattern, no? My personal feeling is that keto is an effective tool that can be used for short period of time because the benefits outweigh the risks....sort of like chemotherapy. Ketotherapy? Being morbidly obese carries risk. But for a maintenance, lifelong diet......I am convinced that a diverse gut microbiota is the key to good health, and will eat a diet that supports it. At this stage in my obesity recovery...for me...I believe that keto carries more risks than benefits. Best wishes to all...and respect meant for everyone's choices. Everyone has a right to eyeball this choice on their own and make the decision that makes the most sense to them. Food for thought: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273533.php

I'm 10 wks out from LB to sleeve and I wonder same thing. I feel Like I can eat too much. Not all the time but a couple of times I got hiccups and 2 other times I got a tummy ache. I do not count calories. I try and focus on my protein and fluid Intake. I am trying to do a ketogenic (Keto) diet, which I discussed with my nutritionist.

I would say that these are very valid concerns, and one of the things that i struggled with in the past with weight loss, and it caused a lot of self sabotage— im working on it now with my therapist, and its a struggle. I don’t want to be noticed- and im my case, noticed for my body- and there are underlying factors that im working to uncover. My body is not something anyone should be commenting on- good or bad, imo. I would rather be noticed for something that is not fading, like a nice personality or a kind heart. Perhaps finding a counselor that has experience in body/weight loss issues would be beneficial. And you are safe here too- Im like you- I was self pay and having to come home to find resources like a counselor, dietician etc on my own. Build your team to support you, you deserve it. The hair loss was expected, as I had that when doing keto— it does turn around though, so keep up the faith there.

I hit a stall 3 weeks after starting pre-op diet (2 weeks after surgery). I lost 9 pounds pre-op and then post-op I lost 10 more pounds in the first 2 weeks after surgery. But at 2 weeks post surgery (last week) I hit 196 and stayed there for 6-7 days till I dropped to 194 yesterday. I was a Thanksgiving houseguest during that stall week and picked (lightly, but it was still picking!) at a lot of sweet, high-calorie soft foods (pie filling, lobster ravioli, cheese & toppings off the top of a pizza). I think the carbs knocked me out of ketosis and my liver stored a bunch of glycogen all over again. I went strictly low-to-no-carb the last few days and drank a pooh-load of Water. I also picked up some Relion (Walmart) keto-stix for $6 so that I could make sure that I'm staying in light ketosis. The scale finally budged yesterday and today and I'm down 2 pounds. (I find that I am not hungry or carb-craving if I get in to light ketosis--it may not be for everyone.) I ALSO took time a couple of days ago to load all my usual post-sleeve food items into MyFitnessPal on my desktop so that I could easily keep it updated with the phone app. It's good to be able to look down and realize that some high-carb Soup that I just ate just used up a bunch of my day's calories or that I'm behind on Protein for the day [in which case I just add a scoop of unflavored Protein powder to whatever I'm having to get back on track].) I have not had any nausea and have kept things down well from the beginning, so my big focus has been to get 80 grams of protein each day to try to lose what I hope is mostly fat (and not muscle). I sometimes get troubled that others have lost so much in the first month, but I choose to tell myself that slow is okay for me and I give myself hope that I am losing less muscle this way. We'll see if I am truly out of my stall by taking these steps-- maybe I will be 194 for a week or two, who knows ?! I will try to keep you posted. I send you support and a stalls-are-a-bummer hand squeeze! P.S. - I know the popular wisdom is to not weigh every day, but I am in the process of educating myself about how my food choices affect me, so I am going to keep weighing every day for a while (just a personal preference !).

Dont think its "ketosis", to get keto you need your body consuming fat not Protein. Think its more likely gerd or protein breathe. I know Isopure left a nasty taste in my mouth. Sent from my SM-G530T1 using the BariatricPal App

That's a great question for your surgeon. I know most stomachs are cut to bougie sizes from 32 to 60 fr. But most surgeons do them around 36/40. Print the photo and ask during a consultantion. Another alternative for you is a Gastric Ballon, coupled with a strict keto diet. You wont eat much as you lose weight and its temporary